This Article is based on Court of Justice case law which has recognised freedom to exercise an economic or commercial activity (see judgments of 14 May 1974, Case 4/73 Nold [1974] ECR 491, paragraph 14 of the grounds, and of 27 September 1979, Case 230-78 SPA Eridiana and others [1979] ECR 2749, paragraphs 20 and 31 of the grounds) and freedom of contract (see inter alia Sukkerfabriken Nykobing judgment, Case 151/78 [1979] ECR 1, paragraph 19 of the grounds, and judgment of 5 October 1999, C-240/97 Spain v. Commission, [1999] ECR I-6571, paragraph 99 of the grounds) and Article I-3(2) of the Constitution, which recognises free competition.
Ta člen temelji na sodni praksi Sodišča, ki je priznalo pravico do izvajanja gospodarske ali trgovske dejavnosti (glej med drugim sodbi z dne 14. maja 1974, zadeva 4/73 Nold, 1974, PSES 491, odstavek 14 obrazložitve, in z dne 27. septembra 1979, zadeva 230-78 SPA Eridiana in drugi, 1979, PSES 2749, odstavka metricconverterProductID20 in20 in 31 obrazložitve) in pravico do sklepanja pogodb (glej med drugim sodbo Sukkerfabriken Nykobing, zadeva 151/78, 1979, PSES 1, odstavek 19 obrazložitve, in sodbo z dne 5. oktobra 1999, C-240/97 Španija proti Komisiji, 1999, PSES I-6571, odstavek 99 obrazložitve), ter na drugem odstavku I-3. člena, ki priznava svobodno konkurenco.